My Husband's Office Party

My husband's department is a cool one! They always have the best parties in the best places. Just this weekend and the night before my birthday, my hubby, who helped organized the party had it celebrated in Crowne Plaza Hotel Dubai Festival City where we also booked a room for the whole family for the night. It was a great birthday gift from dear hubby since it is a very posh hotel here.

Anyway, I saw the preparations from setting the chairs and tables, from fixing the sound system including the elaborate profire 2626 mixer, the DJ booth, the lighting and the food and bar!

It was fun seeing the party goers with their best Disney character costume. My husband wore Capt. Hook costume, well, an improvised one and the others came as the Disney princess. One even came as Lion King!!! What fun!

4 Personality Types You May Want To Avoid In the Office

Photo credit: jobjasoos.com

Everyone likes to think that they are easy to get along with. However, if you’ve ever spent time working in a busy office, which I’m guessing most of you have, you’d know that this isn’t always the case. Every work environment possesses a myriad of personalities each different to the next. If, by chance you are reading this at work (on the sly I hope) take a look around the office at your co-workers. Can you categorise any of them into one of these personality types?

The Chatty Kathy

This co-worker super fun and bubbly – a real gem to be around. They always ask you questions about your life and seems genuinely interested in you. That is until a few weeks later and all those intimate details of what you got up to on the weekend have spread like wildfire around the office. Eeekk. There can only be one culprit – the chatty Kathy, otherwise known as office gossip. These people thrive in drama, and are prone to spreading lies or half-truths behind the backs of others. No information is safe and while you may be tempted to return the favour – watch out – they know how to play the game and have the ability to twist your words in ways you could have never imagined, causing co-workers to pick sides. Once management gets wind of your rift, there will be undeniable consequences mostly for you.

The Put Down Patrol

The put-down patrol is among the same species as the gossip, the only difference is, these people have no qualms about making digs to your face, and in a group situation. It might be an attack on your intelligence, your looks, how you handled a client or whether you suck up to the boss. If you call them up on it, their go-to response is just relax man, can’t you take a joke! Seriously, did we just teleport back to high school? Their comments can range from aggressive and intimidating to passive and underhanded.

The Delegator

You’re not really sure what this person’s job actually entails, mostly because they don’t seem to be doing any work at all. Your daily interactions involve them throwing a pile of folders on your desk and demanding a report via the Axcelerate CRM system by COB. All the while, they spend the day gasbagging with ol’ chatty Kathy near the water cooler. What makes the situation even worse, is that your boss is clearly wearing rose coloured glasses and believes that this guy has impeccable management skills. They will most likely be the next to be promoted.

The Ball Breaker

This person will stop at nothing to become the top dog, no matter how many people they squish along the way – probably including their own Mother. You’ll likely realise quite quickly that they are not team players and have the mentality of, it’s my way or the highway. They hate being knocked off their pedestal or being shown up by anyone else (intentional or not) and will likely make your job very difficult if you wrong them. They are often very charming due to their extroverted nature, but they are also low on the empathy charts and very high on the emotional stability one. Approach these people softly and be wary of their mind games.

What’s your work personality? Let us know in the comments below.

How to Thwart a Raging Bull

-- This is a repost. I have written this many moons ago when I was still in a different department. Things have changed recently. And as I recall how much I have been motivating and reminding myself how wonderful life is - I stumble upon this post I have written with humor. For those who can relate, I hope the tips below can help you recover or at least deal with the situation and the perpetrator. For those who are blessed to enjoy the peace and quiet of being at home full time, share this to those you know who can apply it in their corporate lives. Enjoy the read!  --


Best answer to this is to run! Run for your life! Kidding aside, there's nothing more enraging than someone crushing your spirit especially if you've gotten up on the right side of the bed.

I woke up with a bright outlook in life one fine morning, smiling my blues away, looking forward to another day and screeeeeeeecccchhhhhhh..... wait a sec! What just happened? It's like a dream sequel and suddenly you woke up like someone threw cold water on your face. Yes, that happened to me at work. Again, no details will be spared but the crux of the matter is, some people just ruined my day in a fraction of a second! Wow, that's Guinness Book of World Records there for you!

I was upset the whole day because:

1. I felt hurt.
2. I was treated with disrespect.
3. They ruined my sunny-side up spirit.

One thing that really pulls my nerve is when someone is sarcastic when spoken to. My point is, I speak to you kindly, then answer back with the same respect given to you. Isn't that the right thing to do to people? Was that so hard to do? I mean, to be kind? Golden Rule. Golden Rule. Golden Rule. I can't stress that enough.

After that event one fine morning, I thought of presenting this tips on how to avoid raging bulls in the office:

Here's one:
Look the other way. Try to avoid eye contact. You'll never know when he or she will pop your eyes out. ;)

Here's another:
Try to become invisible for a day or at least until the rage wears down. If you need to relay a message or have important matters to discuss with the raging bull then go through the assistant, if he or she has one. I just did that. If I could fold myself into several folds, I would have done that so I could put myself in my own pocket!

And another:
Play some funky tunes to cast the blues away. Music is like a therapy to calm my nerves. Just don't play heavy metal, head banging, ear drums crashing music or it will make you more upset. Tone down with a good "zen" like music or easy listening stuff. I played "Amazing Grace" in my head over and over until I cooled down. Another music which calms my nerves is blues/jazzy tune. Never disappoints me at all.

Last trick I tried:
I offered a prayer. I was scared of losing it too because I just gave them a reason to ruin my composure. Well, they actually did but to give in to such negative feeling is something I will not subject myself to. I owe it to myself to be happy and happy I will be. Bulls or none...

So, there will be another day again and this will be my prayer:

"As I enter the work area Lord, please give me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can and wisdom to know the difference...and while I am at it Lord, please don't make me too strong because I might just throw them all away." hehehehe Just kidding Lord. =)

(photo courtesy of: www.yesnet.yk.ca)

Corporate Trainings

I am pleasantly surprised by the full support our managers are giving us regarding our professional and even personal growth. I say this because from my previous department, I barely had the opportunity to attend trainings and seminars. Not that the management discourages us, it was just that, asking permission was a bit of a challenge due to the demands of work. Also, we had to coordinate with other colleague to ensure that no one was on leave on the date I would attend my training. Unfortunately, there were times when the only offered available dates were on the times my other colleagues were on leave. I always end up sacrificing my chance to learn and develop.

The case now is very different in my new department. In a span of 8 months, I have already done 5 instructor-led trainings with my fellow colleagues and bosses. I am not even counting the online courses I have completed during that time.  I have never seen so much support from the management in my previous work experience. I am overwhelmed in a positive way because I love attending trainings, seminars and workshops. I love to learn more and acquire skills which I can use in my day-to-day tasks in the office and also, something to leverage my chances of promotion.

I am grateful that the opportunities are being presented to us in a silver platter. The one I just attended yesterday was a "mandatory" training arranged by my boss. Everyone in the team was present, including our big boss who did everything to ensure that all of us get our fair-share in learning and developing. Our whole unit was closed for the day while we acquire more knowledge in the workforce. Closing a unit for a day rarely happens in a company but our management deemed it necessary for our career growth and well-being. I think that's a very altruistic gesture from the management side and it's not left unappreciated.

And as of this writing, there is another training in the offing that the whole unit will attend to as instructed by our big boss. My quota is already filled to the brim!

Imagine, 5 trainings in 8 months in my new department as opposed to the very few trainings I had during the past 8 years in my previous department. Now that's what I call healthy working environment.

3 Weeks After the Move

People who know me will notice one thing, my smile. Not that I am very stringent with it but it is the opposite. I am quite the smiley-face but this time, the smile is more bright, pronounced and plastered longer than usual. I actually have painful cheeks now for smiling non-stop. And why you might ask? Drum roll please... I AM HAPPY where I am now. I won't give any more specific but if you're following my blog, you know what I am talking about.

I feel awkward at first because I am not used to having some time to actually breathe properly but now it's like that. I just have to adjust and get used to the idea of finally having the time to breathe, relax once in a while and chat with the people around me.

It's been great so far. I know I will have moments of stress and pressure too but every one is just helpful and supportive. I can get used to this :)

Tight Security Measure

Our company is strict with accommodating visitors in the building. Everyone goes through the security in the lobby. Most of the time, the security officers assigned would call us first to verify if we were expecting visitors.

Our building is equipped with a swipe card system and barcode scanner which reads the strip in each of the employees' identification cards. Not only that, we have a reception area to filter those who are already in the building and CCTV cameras are also installed to check the comings and goings in each room.

Before the 9-11 event, our office was just like any ordinary building. We only employed security guards and trusted everyone who would come in and go.

Times have changed. Tight security measures are not being implemented and improved for those which are already in place and installed.

Kiosk Stand in the Office

I must be very pre-occupied with something that I did not notice the installed kiosk in our office lobby. I have been walking past the white rackmount near the lift and did not realize it was there. I asked my colleague this afternoon when it was installed. I was surprised to know that it was there for the past year. What? I thought I was extra sharp on noticing my surrounding but being in that building for the past 8 years have made everything around me seem like a blur.

My colleague was surprised herself. It was a big kiosk and was hard to miss. I could not give any reason because I just went past that same kiosk for over a year now without realizing it there. 

The installed kiosk was for the staff's use when they want to book their tickets on last minute and to those who have no access to a computer due to the nature of their job. It is very convenient and yet, I have missed to notice its existence.

Waking Up Disoriented

I had a very bad day yesterday in the office. I also received a phone call from my sister about my mom's stroke. She was rushed to the hospital but is now recovering.

I woke up this morning feeling a bit disoriented, puffy-eyed, dizzy, exhausted from all the crying, confused and absent-minded. I have been looking for some of my stuff but I could not figure out where I kept them last. I knew I have been missing my polo boots and other business outfits which I haven't worn for some time. I was also searching for my other purses which I could not remember where I kept.  What is going on?

Oh, I am so young to forget things. Could this be stress or sheer exhaustion for being exposed to people who does not matter but gives me tough time 8.5 hours, 5 days in a week? 

Stressful Day

I was already stressed last Thursday. And yet again, the stress saga continues. My day in the office seemed to be taking forever. I just kept working and working. Time seemed to have stood still even if I have accomplished many tasks already. I still have plenty of things to do which were left undone.

Deadlines to meet were tight. My heart palpitated. My palms were cold and I could feel my sweat trickle down my forehead even when the air condition unit was in full blast.

I don't know how long I can still do this. The stress is wearing me out. I don't have enough "motivation" and "morale" on reserve. If those two get depleted, I am in deep doo-doo!

Again, I pray for 2013 to roll in quick so I can just decide on what to do next. Sigh...

The Corporate Ladder - Is it Worth the Climb?

I have been working for nearly 2 decades now. I am beginning to feel the wear and tear of working donkey years in the corporate scene. These past few days have been enlightening and thought-provoking for me as I begin to unravel the realities of my career advancement. Why did I say that? Well, no matter what I do now, I can never seem to please the authorities around me. And why did I say that again? Just hear me out...

I just had an unpleasant performance review recently. I honestly thought that I had improved well in the gray areas highlighted to me by my supervisor during the last performance review. I was confident that this review would merit me a better rating. Imagine my shock when I saw my review. It was completely the opposite of my expectation. Talk about having false hopes! I will no longer go through the nitty-gritty details of the review but to cut the chase, it was not what I wanted to see if I plan to apply for a promotion or career advancement. Simply put, my chances for growth has been stumped.

So, let me get back to my question at hand, is it really worthy to climb the corporate ladder? I know many of you will surely say yes if you are driven by ambition, money, power and motivated by your bosses or for any other personal reasons. However, this is my conclusion on my view as a career woman-mom-wife who has been tied in a bondage for the last 18 years of her life in the cut-throat world we call the Office. NO. Let me say that again, NO, it is not worth the climb for me.

I just realized how blessed I am for having a stress-free life after office hours, a family and a house I can come home to, a daughter who keeps me up on my toes and a husband who still has the time to hear my woes and glee. NO, it is not worth climbing when my drive for success compromises the quality time I spend with my family. NO, it is not worth the climb when my relationship with the people who TRULY matters is affected by the demands of the work force. NO, it is not worth every money I will get if I come home to a daughter who I don't have time to nurture and guide, a husband I will be too tired to take care of, a house I can never clean because of weariness, friends I cannot see and call, activities I have to cancel and life I have to turn my back to. NO, if it means I will spend lesser quality time with the people I love and more time in a place where every dealing is superficial. NO. It is not worth it at all. So, I rescind my dream of any promotion, career growth or a shot at a managerial post because what matters to me is the quality of life I will live when I leave the corporate world. Surely, no amount of money nor company accolades can top that.

I do know that I have far exceeded my Lord's expectation by giving the very best in what I do with the sincerity of my heart. I may not get the promotion I deserve here but in HIS eyes, I am a winner.

Do you feel like going back to work?

After a very nice vacation spent back home in Manila, I ask myself these:

FEEL LIKE WORKING TODAY ???


Do you feel like working today ?


Tomorrow maybe ?


Ehh the day after..??


What about next week ??


Next Month ???




Me Neither.....!!
Feel like partying though.....